Displays in image display devices, such as television devices, are now being shifted from conventional cathode-ray tube displays to thin displays, such as liquid crystal displays and plasma displays. With the thin displays, the thicknesses of the image display devices can be decreased. Liquid crystal panels included in the liquid crystal display devices do not emit light, and thus backlight devices are required as separate lighting devices.
As the backlight unit, a direct type backlight unit that supplies light directly to a liquid crystal panel from the rear side of the liquid crystal panel is known. In such a backlight unit, a reflection member may be provided on a light source board on which light sources such as LEDs are arranged.
Patent Document 1 discloses a reflection member used in a direct type backlight unit, for example. The reflection member has a three-dimensional shape and includes inclined surfaces. The inclined surfaces incline from the mounting surface, on which the LEDs are mounted, toward the liquid crystal panel. The reflection member further includes a plurality of through holes and side wall portions. The through holes, through which a plurality of LEDs as light sources are individually passed, are evenly distributed in the reflection member. The side wall portions surround each of the LEDs, which are passed through the through holes, with a uniform area size. If such a reflection member is used for the direct type backlight unit including a plurality of LEDs arranged in a matrix, the inclined surfaces of the reflection member can evenly lead light that is emitted from the LEDs toward the liquid crystal panel side. Thus, brightness distribution can be nearly equalized in a display surface of the liquid crystal panel.